by Michael Salmon
Ford Street
Publishing Picture Book. Hardcover.RRP $19.95
Reviewed by Francine Sculli
We all know the 12 Days of Christmas carol
– we have sung it in our homes, heard it in the supermarket in the lead up to
Christmas and no doubt whispered in the ears of children around us as we watch
glee spread through their eyes. So what happens when you take a well-loved and
well-known carol like that and give it some Aussie cheer? You get a great
children’s picture book that will make the perfect gift for those little ones
this Christmas.
So what makes this a down-under Christmas?
Well it is brimming with a host of classic Australian animal characters, some
hot sun and a range of equally classic Australian activities that’ll warm any
heart with familiarity. Following the same rhythm, repetition and structure as
the original carol, this book introduces readers to kookaburras in gum trees,
snakes on skis, wet galahs, lyrebirds, kangaroos, sharks a-surfing, egg laying
emus, dancing dingoes, snoozing crocs, washing wombats, leaping lizards and
musical possums. Best of all are the vibrant and cartoon-like pictures that
fill the pages and are jam-packed with enough beautiful detail to allow plenty
of room for pre-emptive and early literacy discussions – and simply to keep
readers engaged.
This book is perfect for children aged
three and up. For the younger ones, the repetition and colourful images allows
them to predict the text and introduces them to a classic carol and for the
older ones, the language is simple and repeated enough to allow them to read
through it on their own – making this a great early literacy resource. I tried
this one out on my three and a half year old son and he absolutely loved it and
by the end of the book he was ‘reading’ along, making this a certified winner
for the Christmas related read-a-thon in the lead up to Christmas.
Francine Sculli is a regular reviewer of
children's books for Buzz Words magazine, an essential resource for
writers and illustrators for children.
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